We're huge fans of Manga Studio on the Surface Pro and other Windows tablets, and it looks like it's soon going to get A LOT better.

Manga Studio is developed by Japanese company Celsys and known as Clip Studio Paint there. This morning they posted a YouTube video highlighting radically improved touch support in an upcoming version of the software.

The update features not just the expected pan, zoom and rotate support. The interface icons are scaled significantly for the smaller screen. Windows 8 style options screens show much larger touch targets and accept touch keyboard input. And very surprisingly touch painting is supported as well.

No idea what version of Clip Studio is being demonstrated; Manga Studio has been running about six months behind its Nippon cousin. So it may be awhile until these features become available here.

UPDATE: Downloaded and installed the just released demo version of Clip Studio Paint 1.2.7 here and the fan-made English translation here and it appears that this is the version being demonstrated in the video.

After having played with the current version for so long on the Surface Pro, I'll admit it's a little shocking to see the UI as big as this. I may end up scaling it down to 125%! I will post a full run-through once I've had a chance to play with it further.

But I can confirm that pinch and zoom and canvas rotation work great.

This release is the first product that I've experienced that fully harnesses the potential of full Windows compatibility with a touch-friendly interface. If more developers follow suit, this could be a game changer.

(If your Japanese is rusty or non-existent, make sure to visit the links above with Google Chrome and Translate turned on.)